Binge Drinking Dangers for Young People

For millions of young adults in this country, the weekend will pass in an alcoholic blur. They'll toss down drink after drink as fast as they can, throw up, pass out, revive themselves, then reach for more booze. For one or two of these otherwise healthy kids, the next drinking binge could end in death.

Bingeing means drinking to get drunk—the point at which the drinker is risking health or behavioral problems as a consequence of drinking. For men, that means having five or more drinks in quick succession. Women have a lower tolerance for alcohol, so their binges are defined as four or more drinks in a row.

Though overall alcohol use among young people has decreased in recent years, the number of binge drinkers remains high. One study by the American Medical Association (AMA) found that 20 percent of 18- to 30-year-olds are binge drinkers. Among those who binge, 19 percent said they binge "frequently," and 7 percent binge every time they drink alcohol.

Binge drinkers are most likely found on college campuses, where many students consider a big game or fraternity party an excuse to drink all weekend, the AMA says.

Bad habit

By the time they're college seniors, most students moderate their drinking. But by then, many already have been hurt by their bouts of heavy drinking.

Besides the risk of death from overdose, bingeing involves other dangerous or negative consequences, including: